Kayla Harrison earned the gold medal in judo at this month's London Games, and she showed it off during a ceremony at Middletown High School.

"I said this is the highlight of my life and there's never going to be another feeling like it, but coming back here and sharing it with my family and my friends and all of Middletown has been – it's been really, really great," Harrison said.

She spent the morning touring the city's elementary and middle schools, where she told students about her long journey to Olympic gold.

"She's a driven person; she was a driven child," said Harrison's mother, Jeannie Yazell. "I mean, I'm just proud of her and always knew that she could do it, and I just like seeing that she can inspire other people."

Her teachers recalled Harrison's as a girl with an unbreakable spirit who trained with the wrestling team.

"They didn't mind that she had to throw them and that was great, and I think they all consider her to be a great friend and they a have rejoiced in the fact that she has accomplished so much," said Carmela Cotter, principal of Middletown High.

At a parade for Harrison on Tuesday evening, she was welcomed into a special club by another Olympic medalist.

"It will change her life forever," said Jerry Lucas, a Middletown-native who won a gold medal for basketball in 1960. "There's no doubt about it. She will be recognized as one of the greatest athletes of all time."

Harrison said she will likely compete in the Summer Olympics in Rio in 2016.